San Marcos City Manager’s Office Experiences Staffing Changes With New Position, New Interim Assistant City Manager

Staff Reports

The City of San Marcos City Manager’s Office is experiencing changes in city staff with a new assistant manager and a new acting police chief.

According to a memo from Bert Lumbreras, City Manager, Stephanie Reyes, his chief of staff since February 2018, has been appointed interim assistant city manager effective August 26.

Lumbreras said the staff changes came after the retirement of Assistant City Manager Collette Jamison.  

Jamison served as assistant city manager for the City of San Marcos since March 1989.

According to Lumbreras, Reyes will oversee the same departments she did as chief of staff; those departments include parks & recreation and destination services.

Reyes will also be in charge of overseeing the City’s Administrative services: the City Manager’s office, communications/intergovernmental relations, grants, human resources, information technology and finance and budget.

San Marcos Police Chief Chase Stapp would begin serving as the city’s interim Director of Public Safety on September 3.

Stapp said, “[Tuesday] stars a new adventure with the City of San Marcos that I never thought I’d be taking. It comes with a great deal of trepidation because I was very much enjoying being the San Marcos Police Chief. Stepping into a new role as Interim Director of Public Safety will bring new challenges, and I hope new opportunities to support the amazing public safety professionals we have in San Marcos.”

Stapp has served as San Marcos Police Chief since he was hired in 2014.

Director of Public Safety is a new position in the city manager’s office, which will oversee San Marcos Police, Fire, Emergency Management, Municipal Court, and Neighborhood Enhancement. The position’s duties include managing animal services, compliance, community enhancement and resource recovery, health, and women, infant and children’s programs.  

Lumbreras said Assistant Chief of Police for the San Marcos Police Department, Bob Klett, will serve as acting police chief.

Klett has been with SMPD since December 1989 and has served the agency over the years as operations assistant chief, administrative commander, patrol commander, community services sergeant, patrol sergeant, patrol corporal, and patrol officer.

Before joining the SMPD, Klett worked with Texas State University Police Department.  

Lumbreras said the city has been working diligently to adjust to change and position itself to be adaptive.

“Even after a huge loss with Collette Jamison’s retirement, we continue to have the ability to place the right people in the right places to achieve continued success,” Lumbreras said.

In other news, Lumbreras informed City Directors and Assistant Directors on August 30 via memo Lee Hitchcock had accepted the position of General Services Director.

As General Services Director, Hitchcock will oversee facilities, transit and fleet and “will build on the impressive efforts he has already undertaken.”

Lumbreras said Drew Wells would continue to serve as Interim Director of Community Services as the city moves through the final application and interview window for the position.

According to the memo, DerryAnne Krupinsky will begin serving as Interim Director of Neighborhood Enhancement this week after Jeff Caldwell’s departure.

Lumbreras thanked Caldwell for the “incredible job” he has done with “some very challenging issues” during his tenure with the City of San Marcos and said while the city will miss him, they’re thankful he’ll be close to home at Texas State.

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